[REVIEW] SVENGALI - THEORY OF MIND
Album: Theory of Mind
Band: Svengali
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Label: None (Independent)
When I
first heard their 2014 EP Unscathed, I knew that Dubai-based band Svengali
have a lot of potential and that they’ll put out even more fantastic stuff in
the near future. They actually did. Svengali was formed in 2013 in Dubai, and
has come a long way since. Theory of Mind is audible proof of that
progress and achievement. The 13-track debut album, mixed and produced by Haven
Studio’s Hadi Sarieddine (guitarist of Benevolent), has had
its artwork and album cover beautifully done by Ishtar Al Shaybani of Ishtar
Couture.
In
general, the album contains plenty of elements that remind me of Dark
Tranquillity, In Flames, Slipknot, Behemoth, and some
electronic influences. To me, they brought out the best of those elements and
added to them their own twist, emotion, and style.
Theory of Mind begins with “Lucid”,
an acoustic instrumental with a hint of suspense that sets the tone for the
rest of the album. I feel that Khalid Al Temimi’s drumming is heavy and powerful
throughout the album, particularly in “Deny”, “Floodgates”, “Laced
in Sin”, and the interestingly-titled “Inertia (Part 1)” (a hint at
a possible second part?). In terms of guitar work, my favorite riff was in “Sink
or Swim”, which is absolutely eargasmic and out of this world, along with
an unforgettable chorus. “Pray for Sanity” has a killer opening and the
most brutal vocal work by Adnan Mryhij, and heartfelt, beautiful singing
by Fadi Al Shami. So much emotion was poured into this album in general
and the aforementioned song in particular. The catchiest tune of Theory of
Mind in my opinion is “Blindfolds”, complete with brilliant lyrics
and headbang-inducing riffage. “Thirteen Suns” is also a treat for heavy
music lovers. The Bassist Ali Square and rhythm guitarist JM also
do one heck of a job on the entire album. “Resonate” is a wonderful closing
track, complemented by a motivating atmosphere and riveting chorus “We are
the fearless ones!”
With that being said, I do think some things could have been done better on the album. A ballad or acoustic song could have been included to add in on the variety of sound that we saw back in the Unscathed EP. Some songs do seem somewhat similar to each other for the first-time listener, but the album differentiates itself as one listens to it more. The heavy and hard-hitting tunes might need to be balanced out by the band's softer side that we have seen before, or perhaps with more diversity in the heavy tunes themselves.
With that being said, I do think some things could have been done better on the album. A ballad or acoustic song could have been included to add in on the variety of sound that we saw back in the Unscathed EP. Some songs do seem somewhat similar to each other for the first-time listener, but the album differentiates itself as one listens to it more. The heavy and hard-hitting tunes might need to be balanced out by the band's softer side that we have seen before, or perhaps with more diversity in the heavy tunes themselves.
Regardless, I could say that the more you
listen to Theory of Mind, the more you’ll like it. What I also enjoyed in
Theory of Mind are the lyrics and their uplifting, positive theme. The contrast
of that with the music and the clean and heavy singing all precipitate in a
debut album beyond expectations. It is a huge step up from the Unscathed
EP. Truly, Svengali have really outdone themselves this time, and have
set a standard not only for themselves but for the entire scene in the region.
Score: 8/10
You can listen to the full album here.
You can buy it online from their Bandcamp page.
Check out their Facebook and Twitter pages.
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